Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum stood by comments he made Saturday opposing prenatal testing, saying it leads to selective abortions, and he said the president is "continuing" policies that encourage such abortions.

CBS News "Face the Nation" host Bob Schieffer asked the former Pennsylvania Senator to respond to comments Santorum made in Ohio Saturday where he said President Obama required free prenatal testing in the health care law "because it ends up in more abortions" which "cull[s] the ranks of the disabled in our society."

Santorum told Schieffer that the policy is the "continuation" of the president's support of aborting disabled fetuses.

"The president has a very bad record on the issue of abortion and children who are disabled who are in the womb," Santorum said. "I think this simply is a continuation of that idea."

With a weak economy coupled with rapidly increasing gasoline prices, Santorum will likely lose even in a debate with Ron Paul the obstectrics specialist who has delivered thousands of babies and consider prenatal screening a necessary test that helps prepare doctors and parents for future medical needs.

Does anyone believe 20% of American women will vote for anyone but Obama?
Certainly not for Newt or Ron Paul.
They may vote for Santorum for the same reasons they voted for Clinton; nice hair and big hands.

7
posted on 02/19/2012 12:32:02 PM PST
by steve8714
(Yoda's speech to Luke; copied from Jack Webb in "The D.I.")

Some of the most controversial methods of obtaining organs have been endorsed by the British Medical Association in a report released this week. Building on Progress: what next for organ donation policy in the UK? laments the fact that people are still dying unnecessarily because of a lack of organs.

Among the measures it proposes are:

Elective ventilation: keeping patients alive solely so they can become organ donors,
Retrieving hearts from newborn disabled babies,
Using body parts from high-risk donors including the elderly, people with cancer, drug users and people with high-risk sexual behaviour.
making donation after cardiac death a normal source for organs

a presumed consent system for organ donation.
a shame campaign to draw attention to the moral disparity of people who decline to donate, but are happy to accept an organ.
payment of funeral expenses for donors

I feel like that I just had a weight put on my chest or the wind taken out of me. It hurts. He is front runner for turning around Obama’s agenda.( He's either going full throttle or taking some hits for Mitt)

11
posted on 02/19/2012 12:36:54 PM PST
by Christie at the beach
(I like Newt and would love to see political dead bodies on the floor.)

I understand Santorum’s opposition to the specific procedure listed in the stories. Note in the article he had nothing against insurance companies covering sonograms and other methods to detect deficiencies.

My issue is with Obamacare that REQUIRES FREE prenatal testing. We already know death panels are in the bill for the elderly to take a “pain pill” when their conditions are too expensive to treat. So if the Government pays for prenatal care and a deficiency is found, what is to stop them from refusing to cover the child’s condition after it is born (citing cost), and instead, offerring a “Free” abortion.

This is MORESO about Obamacare than first let on. And if so, Santorum is absolutely right that it would lead to more abortions, especially if Obamacare is paying for the procedure and treating the unborn like elderly (with death panels).

Hellooo, poopheads (not meaning you Freepers)! He said that testing such as the invasive amniocentesis shouldn’t be provided FREE. That’s all. And yes, children with problems are routinely, usually ABORTED. Pay for your amnio yourself. Sheesh.

I’m proud of him. I’ve been saying on FR that many abortions these days, performed in nice hospitals by “good” ob’s, are second trimester abortions to older, middle class and up, moms, because their amnio genetic results showed a baby with down syndrome or other problem. No one really gravitated to fight this. It’s not just early abortions to poor black moms. Doctors all but insist women abort kids with problems.

Right now, insurances usually only cover amnio for over 30 women, so younger women choose not to get it, because they would have to pay for it. So now you see more Down Syndrome babies born to younger women, when they are far more prevalent conceived by older women. Where did they all go?? They were sucked or scraped out, to heaven.

Bravo Rick. Let the media lie about this. Then hit them with the facts: amnio will never be illegal. It’s a good test. Many families would like to know, to prepare, for genetic problems in their child. But it should be something you pay for on your own.

I always turned down prenatal testing. The only reason for prenatal testing is to identify babies early on to give to doctor the chance to encourage abortion (my ob-gyn always recommended against it but said she was required by the board to offer it). Even she said the only reason to have it is if you would opt for an abortion, which she would not do. Any abnormalities will show up on the 20 wk. ultrasound and give parents plenty of time to prepare.

He is not against prenatal testing! He isn’t against ultrasound! He is against the invasive (needle into uterus) genetic testing being FREE when, if problems are found, more often than not the baby is aborted in the second trimester.

Another thing my doc always warned about was false positives. An amnio is required to verify positive results and that has a risk of miscarriage. I know someone who miscarried a perfectly healthy baby girl resulting from an amnio given after a false positive prenatal screening test.

Here’s what he said;
“Santorum said he is talking specifically about amniocentesis, an invasive test where amniotic fluid is taken from the womb. He said the procedure “actually creates a risk of having a miscarriage when you have it, and is done for the purposes of identifying maladies of a child in the womb. In many cases and in fact most cases, physicians recommend, particularly if there’s a problem, recommend abortion. . . .”

Further;
“Despite the fact that sonograms and blood tests are also capable of detecting abnormalities in pregnancies, Santorum said he feels sonograms and “all sorts of prenatal testing” are acceptable, and if he were an employer, he would provide it in his health insurance, but he feels differently about amniocentesis. “

We’re being lied to by the left-wing press, and you’re buying it? Did you read the article? “Ending prenatal testing” is what the libs want you to think. And I ain’t a Santorum guy. My guy is out.

You are correct. He spent 7.5 minutes of a 12 minute interview on national TV clarifying his position on this and Obama/greenie "theology". And did make it clear that he opposes Amnio being forced upon insurance companies.

He spent the remaining 5 minutes defending his statements on Public Education.

I think most conservatives support his position on all of these things.

But I lament the fact in that full 12.5 minutes he didn't get to talk about the size and scope of the federal government, energy prices/policy, taxes, spending, debt or national security.

This has been my contention all along. This is all Santorum will ever get to talk about in the media. And not by his choice.

I just watched the video! Rick was awesome and was saying what I’ve wanted candidates to say for years! It was like a dream! He had a faded old liberal windbag ridiculing him with scorn and Rick just laughed and schooled him!! He slammed Obama on his desire to kill the unborn, and the born survivors of abortion.

I support him more now than I did before I saw this video. Going to his site to donate. Watch this if you haven’t yet. This is the guy we want against Obama!

Watch the video. Do not believe this twisted, lying, false headline. Santorum is not against prenatal testing!! do not be a stupid passer on of liberal propaganda! You will love how Santorum schools old codger.

Anything said by a Republican relating to anything having to do with medicine or sex will always always always be taken out of context and played as showing the GOP is comprised of woman-hating sexphobes.

Why can't anyone in a position of GOP influence figure this out and train candidates accordingly?

Did you actually read the article or Watch the Video? If so, you’d of realized that Santorum agrees with your statement.

While Santorum is not a fan of that particular procedure, that wasn’t the issue. The issue was OBAMACARE requiring FREE Prenatal screening. Now think about that. We KNOW OBAMACARE has death panels/pain pills for the elderly to costly to treat. So, applying the reasoning to the unborn, by mandating free prenatal care, there’s seems to be nothing that would stop the government from providing free abortion on demand when defects found and to deny the child to be born due to the fact that the disability would be too costly to treat.

THIS is what Santorum was against. If you want the procedures, pay for it yourself and find a private insurance plan that will cover it. But Obamacare funding FREE prenatal care WILL lead to abortions. It has to, because it will be the Government’s way of screening out people that would put a burden on the health care system.

You want have a procedure? Go for it. Santorum’s not against that. But don’t expect government to pay for it.

You know, my country is being taken over from within by communists and fascists at this current time, and quite frankly

I DON’T REALLY GIVE A FLYING **** ABOUT WOMEN’S REPRODUCTIVE ISSUES OR CONTRACEPTION, AND I’M NOT TOO DAMN LIKELY TO SUPPORT SOMEONE WHO CAN’T GET PAST THIS NONSENSE.

At this point in time, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Santorum will not be president, because no liberal woman is going to vote for him, and I’d estimate that about a good 98% percent of them are quite liberal.

Bob Schieffer seemed genuinely stunned by the conservative opinions of Santorum. He needs to step out of the liberal echo chamber once in a while.

BS never heard environmentalism called a religion or theology? Doesn’t know the difference between a result (of prenatal testing) and a purpose? Never met anyone who thinks that public education is not ideal?

BS: What did you MEAN, Senator? What planet are you from? You are SCARING me! Please take it back!

29
posted on 02/19/2012 2:29:30 PM PST
by Lady Lucky
( Exposure to the Son may prevent burning.)

And I resent the fact that Rick didn’t bi**h slap that evil little pr*ck Sheeeffferr, who tried REALLY, REALLY hard to portray Rick as a knuckle dragging Catholic Neanderthal who wants to push everyone back to the 7th century.

Look at the interview again, watch that little weasel Sheeefferr try so hard to get Rick to “admit” he was “against science” and “for” theology!

Rick is a quick thinker, he moves well on his feet, but sometimes, I think he just thinks too well of the human in front of him. He is an optimist and a positive thinker, I don’t know that he recognizes that it is Mr. Stitch in person that he is up against!

Rick! you are looking into the eyes of Satan himself, presented to you by some comely old man that everyone likes!

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